As an Allied combined arms formation rolls quickly through a heavily fortified enemy area, the dangers they face are unknown. Enemy adversaries could be dug in, difficult to identify, and ready to open fire. A soldier launches a drone to perform reconnaissance of the area, spotting a series of dangerous enemy positions. But there are only minutes to convey that critical information to the Battalion and Brigade commanders and adjust tactics before large groups of soldiers advance. With the right software tools, commanders are able to receive and process this information from miles away on a mobile device, and then transmit new orders to their subordinates that integrates real-time intelligence before they engage the enemy. In a matter of seconds, the lethality and effectiveness of the advancing unit is significantly upgraded.
The information age is transforming the battlefield. Soldiers must be equipped to go into battle with the best technology American industry can muster, with connectivity from the outer edge to the operations center. As the battlespace becomes digitized — and timely data, information processing, and decision-making decide success or failure — a transformed, modernized Army will need transformed, modernized software, networking, and communications equipment.
Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) is the Army’s answer to this challenge. It’s the principal Army initiative to modernize the service’s communications and networking technologies, equipping the warfighter with seamless and resilient connectivity at the edge while simultaneously supplying commanders with the best decision-making information available — all through a modular, extensible, and open architecture software platform.
Anduril Industries today announced that it was awarded a $99.6 million Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement by Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, and Network (PEO C3N) to lead the delivery of an NGC2 prototype, integrating partner capabilities from other technology-first companies like Palantir, Striveworks, Govini, Instant Connect Enterprise (ICE), Research Innovations, Inc. (RII), and Microsoft.
For NGC2, Anduril and its partners will create an ecosystem that can rapidly integrate a range of technologies into a singular architecture so that soldiers can access various kinds of compute, communications, and information processing capabilities all at once. Time-sensitive decisions will be faster, and soldiers will be more connected across Corps to Company. Critical data might include enemy locations, logistics and sustainment information, terrain mapping, tactical control measures, and weapons statuses. In turn, Lattice Mesh will enable machine-to-machine interfaces that deliver effects in a fraction of the time compared to legacy systems and networks.
Lattice Mesh is already the foundational edge platform that underpins several Joint and Service initiatives, including the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office Edge Data Mesh. In the same fashion, Lattice will create immediate Joint interoperability for the Army’s Command and Control ecosystem. As a result, NGC2 will connect digital assets, remote sensors, command posts, and soldiers on the ground with real-time intelligence and systems. This solution is in stark contrast to the siloing of data and intelligence across classified and unclassified stovepiped systems that currently exists.
The announcement of OTA continuation follows an 18-month competitive experimentation process, which Anduril entered in late 2023. From the ground up, Army Futures Command has reimagined a new construct for command-and-control in just two years, considering multiple proposals from industry with the intent of standing up NGC2 at rapid speed. Contrasted with a typical five to seven year timeline, the Army moved from proof-of-concept to capability validation in just one year, a pace which Army CTO Alex Miller called “astronomically fast.” The Army established NGC2 as a program office in April 2025.
Anduril and its partners will deliver the NGC2 prototype to the 4th Infantry Division immediately upon award, working through a series of Soldier touchpoints and exercises to stress the performance of the software solution in operational environments at scale. The capability will be integrated onto compute nodes aboard multiple different types of mechanized vehicles throughout the 4th Infantry Division. Throughout the process, we will continue to evaluate new products, partners, and technologies that could strengthen the NGC2 ecosystem, contributing to continued improvement and evolution of NGC2. This prototype will serve as a proof-of-concept that with Anduril software, tactical units are better connected, informed, and more agile as they conduct real-time operations — precisely aligned with the Connected Warfare mission at Anduril as it works with customers across the Department of Defense.
This latest announcement from the Army is a reflection of Anduril’s commitment to delivering every conceivable battlefield advantage to the United States military — starting with the information they use and ending with the weapons they carry. And we’re still just getting started.
